DIVING BIRDS 85 



when all else is still. The crj' of the loon is not unlike an 

 outburst of maniacal laughter, hence we frequently hear 

 the expression, "crazy as a loon." Like the grebes, the 

 loons are practically helpless when on land, but are excel- 

 lent swimmers and divers and strong direct fliers. 



The nest is constructed near the water, often on a par- 

 tially submerged muskrat house. Sometimes the two large 

 eggs are laid on the bare sand or gravel just above the 

 water's edge, so that it is possible for the parent to slip 

 quietly from her nest into the water and swim rapidly to 

 the farther side without exposing even the head. The eggs 

 are dark olive green, spotted and blotched with brown. 



TUFTED PUFFIN 



The Tufted Puffin is a western species living on the 

 Pacific Coast from California to Alaska. It also frequents 

 the opposite shores of the same ocean, occurring in con- 

 siderable numbers from Japan to Bering Strait. Four 

 varieties of puffin are found in America. 



The bills of the puffin are short, stout, and extremely 

 broad vertically, with little horizontal width. The upper 

 mandible projects beyond the lower, producing a resem- 

 blance to the parrot. A peculiar comb-hke excrescence 

 forms on bill at nesting time, a sex mark. The general 

 color of the bird is black with a conspicuous white-faced 

 mask; the long flowing yellow ear tufts are curved inward 

 like the horns of a ram. 



Aside from the gulls and terns, puffins are probably the 

 uneasiest birds about their breeding grounds. When not 



